High school football media day: Solvay Bearcats

There is a scent of growing confidence in Solvay. Whether it translates to more victories will play out in the coming high school football season, but the Bearcats are sounding like a team eager to battle their way into the conversation.

Solvay won two games in 2013. The significance is that the first win ended a 26-game losing streak (longest in New York) and the second win came on their home field, their first win there in five years.

"It was the best feeling," said wide receiver John Dippold.

"It was amazing," said fullback Jeff Honsinger.

They also took Marcellus down to the wire in an insanely entertaining season opener at the Carrier Dome. Had the Bearcats flipped that game, who knows what kind of momentum they could've generated.

That was a start. The Bearcats have been hard at work in the weight room and profess to be prepared to compete even harder in 2014. The numbers (33) are up and so are expectations.

"Now we're more ready to play hard-nose Solvay football," said head coach Matt Shutts.

"We're going to run the ball and try and hurt some teams," Honsinger said.

"We're ready to go and we're going to play smash-mouth football this year and just go right at you," Dippold said.

Shutts said the expectation at Solvay is to produce a winning record every year. He believes it's more realistic this year because of the work ethic by the Bearcats.

"We're working toward one goal," Shutts said.

Solvay will have to be ready from the start. It opens the season with back-to-back home games against Marcellus and Westhill.